Ok, after two years of scrimping, and saving and deciding what Nikon to get last week my D5100 arrived. I did do photography as part of my A-level Art course but that was before the digital era, so I have some basic knowledge and also a lot has changed. I have discovered that I want a lense that offers me way more zoom but there are so many it seems quite daunting. Also what should I have in my kit? I have a basic tripod, a bag and a remote, and that it. Any suggestions appreciated.
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- Thread starter Tewy
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So which lens did you get with your camera? Or did you just get the camera without lens?
If you bought a kit, you probably got a 18-55. This is a great lens, not too luminous, but sharp and it does it's thing. When I first started with the D90, I bought a 18-200 Nikkor VR and it's been very handy. Not the sharpest but very practical. It's the lens that I usually take vacationing. It all depends what you are looking for, how much money are you ready to spend, are you buying short or long term?
One thing I know is that if you buy Nikkor lenses, you can sell them later whenever you are ready to upgrade to pro lenses which are more expensive but give better results depending on who is using them.
If you bought a kit, you probably got a 18-55. This is a great lens, not too luminous, but sharp and it does it's thing. When I first started with the D90, I bought a 18-200 Nikkor VR and it's been very handy. Not the sharpest but very practical. It's the lens that I usually take vacationing. It all depends what you are looking for, how much money are you ready to spend, are you buying short or long term?
One thing I know is that if you buy Nikkor lenses, you can sell them later whenever you are ready to upgrade to pro lenses which are more expensive but give better results depending on who is using them.
Blurrymess
New member
It really depends on what you are planning to shoot. It also depends, on your budget, on the types of situations you'll be in, how serious the work you're planning to do is... if you're planning to travel for a while without the opportunity to charge your battery, and extra battery maybe good (though the battery life on the D5100 is pretty long). You may want to get a decent SD card, and filters for your lenses for specific applications or just lens protection. Personally, if you don't have specific applications in mind, I'd just shoot the thing and play with it for a bit of time, and let the limitations that come up through taking pictures lead you to specific additions to your kit. Some times we think, or are told, we need this and that piece of extra equipment, but we don't really know until we actually need something while shooting... and it may turn out to be something that you, nor anyone else, would have thought of. Sometimes we are also forced to learn through the limitations of a piece of equipment (or lens), which can potentially lead to greater knowledge. Congrats on the D5100, it's a great camera!